Nuclear fuel recycling could cut US waste storage from 100,000 years to hundreds

The US aims to add 300 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear capacity by 2050 and develop a nuclear fuel recycling strategy that could slash radioactive waste storage from thousands of years to just hundreds. The country currently operates 94 light-water reactors, which supply roughly 20 percent of its electricity and around 100 gigawatts (GW) of generating capacity. Meeting its 2050 target would significantly expand the nation’s existing nuclear fleet. Meanwhile, it could also result in substantially more used nuclear fuel if existing practices remain unchanged. To address the challenge, scientists at the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) have started building technologies that could recycle this fuel for use in advanced reactors. Pyroprocessing could reduce demand for newly mined uranium while generating less waste. According to the lab, it could also cut waste storage from hundreds of thousands of years to just hundreds. Recycling used nuclear fuel Argonne has spent nearly half a century researching used nuclear fuel recycling. Pyroprocessing is now gaining renewed attention as a way to turn used fuel into material that can be reused in advanced nuclear reactors. The process uses high temperatures to physically or chemically change solid materials. The technology was a key part of ANL’s Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) program, which combined a fast reactor with on-site fuel recycling. Meanwhile, Japan considered the IFR along with plutonium-uranium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel in the 1980s and 1990s before choosing the latter. Now, it has once again started evaluating IFR and pyroprocessing methods for reactors expected to enter service in the 2040s. At the same time, Argonne has been working together with companies including Deep Isolation and Oklo in order to bring nuclear recycling technologies closer to commercial use. ANL and Deep Isolation researchers turn stable oxides from used nuclear fuel into metallic form. This is a crucial first step before electrochemical processing. The team is also developing sensors to track the process in real time and testing cheaper materials that could deliver the same performance. With Oklo, the team is building machine-learning systems and digital twins for electrorefining. Taking research further In another effort, Argonne researchers are working with Wisconsin-based SHINE Technologies on fuel recycling. Their approach relies on centrifugal contactors to separate different liquids. “It’s very important that we optimize separation steps and develop a process that keeps sensitive nuclear materials mixed together rather than producing pure, separated streams,” Peter Tkac, PhD, ANL nuclear chemist and team leader, said. He explained that the team can test separation processes under conditions that mimic high-radiation recycling facilities. For the project, the team uses a Van de Graaff electron accelerator to recreate the intense radiation inside nuclear recycling facilities. This allows them to analyze how recycling chemicals break down over time. The team is also relies on specialized 3D printers to make custom parts. This way, they can quickly evaluate different designs before ultimately moving to industrial-scale systems. “We have a good strategy for recycling nuclear fuel,” Tkac highlighted in a press statement. “The approaches taken will depend on nuclear reactor technologies selected for energy production.” Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Based in Skopje, North Macedonia. Her work has appeared in Daily Mail, Mirror, Daily Star, Yahoo, NationalWorld, Newsweek, Press Gazette and others. She covers stories on batteries, wind energy, sustainable shipping and new discoveries. When she's not chasing the next big science story, she's traveling, exploring new cultures, or enjoying good food with even better wine.